It took the reigning Asian champions 91 minutes of hard work to break the deadlock against debutants Viettel, with the Austrian striker finding the back of the net with his backheel effort that deflected off defender Nguyen Thanh Binh’s legs.

Whether it was acrobatic brilliance, stunners from distance, or fine team goals, Matchday One of the 2021 AFC Champions League produced the goods.

We've selected five of the best for you to choose from in the poll at the foot of the article.

Teerasil Dangda and Diogo both scored in each half to ensure the Thai club secured their first-ever win on their AFC Champions League debut with Kaya FC pulling through Marwin Angeles in the 81st minute.

Ahead thanks to a sublime Stephan Shröck strike, and dominant in nearly every statisctical indicator, the Filipino outfit looked to be sailing to a historic victory with 20 minutes remaining, but Beijing’s 19-year-old skipper Liang Shaowen produced a strike every bit as good as Schröck’s to earn a share of the spoils.

Liang’s goal was Beijing’s only shot on the target for the 90 minutes, and while Withe’s side succeeded in becoming the first from the Philippines to secure an AFC Champions League point, it was the two they left behind that were the focus of the coach’s attention.

The 12 sides went through extremely challenging times to advance to the final round, with the two group winners and runners-up to join hosts Qatar in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Finals while the third-placed teams from the two groups will advance to the Confederation Playoff, with the winners moving into the Inter-Confederation Playoff.

Ahead of the draw, the-AFC.com retraces how the 12 teams booked their places from the second round of qualifying. We take a look at how Group C unfolded.

The 12 sides went through extremely challenging times to advance to the final round, with the two group winners and runners-up to join hosts Qatar in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Finals while the third-placed teams from the two groups will advance to the Confederation Playoff, with the winners moving into the Inter-Confederation Playoff.

Ahead of the draw, the-AFC.com retraces how the 12 teams booked their places from the second round of qualifying with the focus on Group D.

Drawn into eight groups at AFC House on Thursday, the 28 hopefuls will need to win their respective sections to join Japan, Australia, China PR and hosts India in the Finals, setting up several mouth-watering clashes.

Join the-AFC.com as we pick apart the matches ahead and whet the appetite for a super September of high stakes action.